Cognitive and cardiovascular aging: the effects of multivitamin supplementation

Cognitive decline is an issue of increasing concern in our aging population, and cognitive outcomes are especially dependent on cardiovascular health. The first study presented in this thesis observed an association between cognitive performance and augmentation index, a measure of arterial stiffness, in both younger and older adults. Two clinical trials then investigated the effects of 16-weeks supplementation with combination multivitamin, mineral and herbal formulations on older women and men. The studies observed no effect of supplementation on cognition or augmentation index. However, assessment of blood biomarkers revealed some beneficial changes due to supplementation.